DNC Votes to Take Power From Superdelegates After Controversial 2016 Primaries

There are some (not-so-smart) progressives on the left who believe to this day that Hillary Clinton “stole” the primaries away from Bernie Sanders because she had the DNC and the Democratic establishment in her pocket.

Thanks to a cadre of superdelegates – delegates who were able to vote for Hillary regardless of how people in the primaries actually voted – the former First Lady was able to override the will of the people and become the nominee. Or so the story goes. The controversial finish led many Bernie supporters to abandon Hillary during the general election, a fact she has eagerly blamed for her loss to Trump. Then again, try finding something she hasn’t blamed for that loss.

Hillary Clinton is guilty of a great many things, of course, but this is not one of them. Yes, she clearly had the Democratic establishment, the media, and the DNC in her back pocket. But that’s separate from saying she only won the primaries because of the controversial superdelegates. And a simple look at the facts show that’s not the case. Bernie was WELL behind when it came to the raw votes and primary contests; you could have handed him all of Hillary’s superdelegates and it’s not clear it would have made any difference. Throw them out completely and Hillary would have still come out the victor.

Nonetheless, the Democrats are highly predisposed to giving their fringe-nutty voters what they want, whether or not their desires have any relation to reality. So it was not surprising to see that one of the first motions on the agenda this weekend was a vote to limit the role of superdelegates going forward. While these delegates – who mostly consist of governors, congressmen, and other VIPs – will continue to exist, they will have no bearing on the first-round vote for the party’s presidential nominee in 2020. If the vote is forced to a second ballot, however, the superdelegates will still get their say.

“Today is a historic day for our party. We passed major reforms that will not only put our next presidential nominee in the strongest position possible, but will help us elect Democrats up and down the ballot, across the country,” said DNC Chair Tom Perez. “These reforms will help grow our party, unite Democrats, and restore voters’ trust by making our 2020 nominating process the most inclusive and transparent in our history.”

It remains to be seen if this move will actually do anything to “help grow” the Democratic Party or if it will only serve to placate angry Bernie Sanders’ supporters. Perhaps, as the DNC sees it, these two goals are one in the same. In any event, the next time a socialist candidate fails to take the nomination, they’ll have one less excuse for the loss.